You need to focus, People. This is not something you want to miss. Silence the voices in your head and enjoy the ride!

Writers write. Readers read. Writers read. Readers write. And it’s about darned time this dizzy blonde blogger writes about something you’re going to love to read. Not this blog, but the book being featured. Well, the blog, too. Oh, heck fire, this is harder than it looks.

Give me another try. I can fake the relaxed, comfortable, and naturally alluring look. It can’t be that hard.

So strap yourself in for another zany author interview.

This time, Lori Virelli from the blog Lori’s Lane, has agreed to drop in to talk about her collection of short stories in a memoir entitled Home Avenue. For the week of Thanksgiving, she’s giving it away for FREE! Thanks, Lori!

This is Lori. See what a happy writer she is?

This is her memoir available on Amazon.

I read Lori’s book and here’s what I had to say after giving it 5-star review: Grab a cup of coffee or tea and curl up with this charming little book. Each of the stories are written straight from Virelli’s heart and surely will touch yours. From the smallest, quirkiest details of what makes families so, shall I say, interesting, to touching on broad themes about life, love, connections, and what it means to be human, this author adeptly taps into everyone’s life by sharing her own memories in such a poignant way.

Don’t tell Lori, but I haven’t done one of these interviews in a long time. She thinks I’m really good at this. But I’m going to have to reinvent my wheel. I’ll be changing personas during the interview, just to see what works best. So just bear with me.

Lorna, thanks so much for showcasing my book, Home Avenue. And your idea of us both taking on the personas of bookworms sounds quite fun! I can’t wait to get started. You’re so clever!

Did I say that we would BOTH be book worms? Silly me! Well, you’ve been busy with your 2nd book and you probably got confused. Let’s get down to business because I’m a working girl and time is money, Honey. Tell me the story behind the title of your memoir.

Wow. You look great. Any chance I can change my bookworm costume? No, huh? That’s okay. I understand. Home Avenue, is the title of one of the short stories in my memoir and also the name of the street where I grew up.

Fascinating. I grew up, well, never mind. This is about you, not me. So, has writing a book always been a dream of yours, or is this a more recent goal?

Writing a book(s) has always been my dream, although what my books looked like morphed into different ideas over the years. Um, Lorna? Why do you keep changing your look?

I’m asking the questions, here, Lori. Trust me. I’m a pro at this. I’m a real pro at many, many things. Whew! Is it warm in here? Back to the interview…Every book has a story. What’s the story behind this book?

Sorry, Lorna. I’ll stick to script. I’m just having a dickens of a time trying to follow you. Anyway. The story behind the book. This anthology’s story takes a look at my dysfunctional family in a light-hearted fashion and with a sense of humor. Sometimes we just have to laugh at ourselves to get through life. Each tale ends on either a humorous or inspirational note.

Hey, Lori, when you roll with me, you never know what’s going to happen. I never do! And I appreciated the humor in your book. People take themselves way too seriously. Not me, but you probably guessed that. So, speaking of unexpected (we were, right?), what’s something unexpected you learned from writing this book?

Well, nothing as surprising as this interview! Okay. Let’s see. I let my family read it first. I was worried they might be offended. I was surprised to learn that no one had an issue with any part of the stories, and in fact, they loved them.

It’s always a plus when your family doesn’t hate your work, isn’t it? Last question, Lori. What inspires you or lifts you up?

This may sound like a cliché from a comedy, but I’m an open book. Each morning I read and repeat affirmations for inspiration and then meditate on them. Having been raised in a pessimistic home, as you’ll read in the anthology, it’s always a challenge for me to keep a positive focus.

Open book! Great pun, Lori! I devour good books from great authors like you. That keeps me happy as a worm (forget clams—they can’t be all that chipper crawling around in the muck).

Thank you Lorna, for inviting me for this interview to discuss my projects. I’m honored that you would host me.

I’m happy to help out a blogger buddy and author pal. Now, I have to get back to this editing job I’ve been working on. Murdering someone else’s darlings is more fun than I thought it would be.

And just so you know, Lori’s new novel is Whit’s End. It is hot off the presses (11/20/2016) and available in ebook form at Amazon for $0.99!

Two unhappily married women starving for affection from their husbands meet other men who can satisfy their hunger. Ava and Meg are married to the dysfunctional Whitaker brothers. Should they compromise their deep-rooted family values and moral integrity? One chooses to work harder on her marriage. The other opts to have an affair. Family bonds shatter. Friendships suffer. Forced to dig deep within to face ugly truths, Ava and Meg grow in ways they didn’t know possible.